073114lilymerrow
galliardTartarol0gist GT began pestering arcaneArtisan AA at 03:35 -- 03:35 GT: "MERROW," a voice says brightly outside the door. 03:36 AA: Merrow recognizes the voice and rolls his eyes before coming to the door. "MAVICO. HOW MAY WE HELP YOU?" 03:37 GT: She looks...slightly frightening. "Let's exchange INFORMATION." 03:40 AA: "VERY WELL, COME IN." Merrow indicates a couch in the sitting area of his lavish quarters. 03:42 GT: She walks in and sits on the couch, still smiling in a way that makes you feel as if she's watching irritable panthers flay you alive. 03:43 AA: "YOU SEEM PLEASED WITH YOURSELF. OR ELSE YOU ARE INTENDING TO DEVOUR ME." 03:44 GT: "I'm intending to devour my DAD. ALIVE. WITH BUTTER AND BERNAISE SAUCE. Maybe that'll drown out the unpleasant flavor of Mountain Dew and SMUGNESS." 03:45 AA: "WE SEE. WE ARE FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT IS ILLEGAL ON EARTH, BUT WE CAN'T SWEAR TO IT." 03:47 GT: "We're on Alternia now, remember? I don't give a flying FUCK what the laws are. He's going to PAYYYYY." She growls fairly threateningly. "Incidentally do you have a phone I can borrow." 03:48 AA: Merrow's eyes narrow in concern. "...WHY?" 03:49 GT: "Because all of MINE are waiting patiently for Episode Two of Sex Talkstravaganza." She shows him the dead screen of her smartphone as proof. "I have to wait a fucking DAY for them to power on again, and even then I won't have internet access." 03:50 AA: Merrow's lips curl in a mischievous smile. "'SEX TALKSTRAVAGANZA?'" 03:51 GT: "Don't ask. Really, please." She grins mischievously. "Of course, if you do, I can tell you exactly which techniques he photoshopped your face into." 03:51 AA: Merrow's smile disappears. "WHO DID?" 03:52 GT: "Dad. I don't think I'm ever going to look at a weather vane the same way again, especially if you're holding it." 03:53 AA: Merrow spends a few seconds in silence before silently pretending to not have heard that. 03:54 AA: "SO THIS IS A MATTER OF PARENTAL UPBRINGING? PERHAPS IT WOULD BE RUDE OF US TO INTERFERE WITH YOUR FATHER'S WISHES..." 03:54 GT: "Then you'll be encouraging his fervent suggestions we start rampantly hateboning like there's no tomorrow." 03:55 AA: Merrow winces, only a slight tinge of tyrian passing his cheeks. "WELL NO ONE WANTS THAT, WE'RE SURE." He sighs. "VERY WELL, YOU MAY BORROW OUR PHONE FOR A MOMENT." He hands over the phone grudgingly. 03:56 GT: She takes it gratefully. "Thank God. Maybe I'll hold off on the Seven Veils Dance for another day or so." 03:58 AA: "WE ARE SO DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED." His tone is sarcastic. 03:58 GT: "That's the idea, I think." She grins. 03:59 AA: He grunts, but it doesn't really indicate any genuine response other than acknowledgement that she said something. 04:00 AA: "YOU SAID YOU WISHED TO EXCHANGE INFORMATION?" 04:01 GT: "Why not?" She puts her feet up and looks expectantly at him. "You first." 04:03 AA: "WELL WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW? WE ARE NOT SURE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR EXACTLY." 04:04 GT: "What's going on behind the scenes around here that the head honchos don't want us to know about? Why do you all know who Scarlet is? Stuff like that." 04:07 AA: Merrow sighs. "FROM WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GATHER, SCARLET CONTACTED OUR MOTHER SOME YEARS AGO, SOMETIME AROUND THE TIME OF THE TRUCE BETWEEN EARTH AND ALTERNIA. IN FACT, IT PROMPTED THIS TRUCE." 04:07 AA: "SHE PROVIDED THEM INFORMATION ABOUT A GAME THAT WOULD SOON BE PLAYED THAT WOULD END THE WORLD, BUT WOULD ALSO BE THE ONLY KEY TO SURVIVING THE END ONCE IT CAME." 04:08 AA: "SHE HAS PROVIDED THEM WITH A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IS TO COME, IN EXCHANGE FOR CERTAIN CONCESSIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN SEEN TO." 04:08 GT: "Concessions? Like what?" 04:09 AA: Merrow sighs. "PRIMARILY CONCESSIONS RELATED TO THE WELLBEING OF HER DAUGHTER." 04:10 GT: She chuckles. "Might've known." 04:12 AA: "YES. THUS THE BETROTHAL AND HER PARENTS' PARDONING. WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE FALLEN FOR HER IN TRUTH....WE WOULD HAVE BEEN STUCK WITH HER EITHER WAY, IF WE HADN'T, BUT..." Merrow smiles, looking off into the distance as if daydreaming. "...IT TURNED OUT SCARLETS PRICE WAS NO BURDEN AT ALL." 04:13 GT: "Mm." She looks faintly disgusted. "Can we get on with it?" 04:13 AA: Merrow shakes his head as though to clear it, then turns back. "YES, OF COURSE. OUR APOLOGIES." 04:14 AA: "BECAUSE OF THIS BOTH THE GOVERNMENTS OF EARTH AND ALTERNIA WERE PREPARED AHEAD OF TIME TO BEGIN SELECTING PLAYERS AND PREPARING THIS BASE FOR THEIR SAFETY, FOR WHEN THE GAME WOULD BEGIN." 04:15 AA: "WE ARE NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR ON THE SELECTION CRITERIA USED BY THE GOVERNMENTS. THEY SEEM TO BELIEVE THEY HAVE CHOSEN THE PLAYERS INDEPENDENTLY, BUT INFORMATION FROM DARMOK LEADS US TO BELIEVE THAT THERE MAY BE A HIDDEN HAND AT WORK--BE IT FATE, OR SOME MANIPULATOR. FOR EXAMPLE SCARLET HERSELF OR ANOTHER PLAYER ALREADY IN THE GAME." 04:16 GT: Her grin widens almost imperceptibly, but she says nothing. 04:17 AA: "WHAT IS THAT GRIN FOR?" 04:17 GT: "Nothing. Keep going." 04:17 AA: "HMM. THIS NEXT BIT MIGHT BE SOMEWHAT HARD TO BELIEVE. OR IF NOT, SOMEWHAT HARD TO ACCEPT..." 04:19 AA: "THOUGH IT'S POSSIBLE YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN TOLD BY THIS 'AUNT JACKIE,' OR THAT GIVEN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR FATHER IT MIGHT COME AS SOME BELIEF." 04:20 AA: (( Relief, rather. )) 04:28 GT: ((*20 years later lily's skeleton is found still trembling in anticipation*)) 04:30 AA: (( I wasn't sure if you wanted to have her react before wall of text continued. =P 04:31 GT: ((oh, sorry)) 04:31 AA: "OUR PARENTS, AND I MEAN THE PARENTS OF ALL OF US PLAYERS, ARE NOT ACTUALLY OUR PARENTS. OR RATHER, THEY ARE, BUT NOT EXACTLY." 04:31 AA: "GENETICALLY, THEY ARE OUR PARENTS. HOWEVER, IT SEEMS THAT OUR ACTUAL PARENTS ARE VERSIONS OF THEM WHO WERE ALREADY PLAYING THE GAME THAT WE ARE ABOUT TO PLAY." 04:32 GT: "I think you told me this already. Actually, yeah, you did." 04:32 AA: "OH, DID WE? WE APOLOGIZE." 04:32 GT: "Enh, no prob. Infodumps can get hard to manage." 04:32 AA: "WELL THEN YES. YOU SEE WHERE THE ISSUE OF FATE COMES IN. IF ALL OF THE PLAYERS WERE INDEED CREATED IN THIS MANNER, THEN THERE IS REALLY NO ROOM FOR NON PRE-DETERMINED CHOICE OF PARTICIPANTS." 04:33 AA: "WELL, FATE OR MANIPULATION." 04:35 GT: "Man, you realize that means their session was doomed to fail from the start too, though? Like, they were never gonna succeed. It was literally impossible." 04:35 AA: "WHY DO YOU SAY THAT?" 04:37 GT: "Cause the game made us while they were still playing. It'd already given up on them, pretty much. Or at least, I think that's what we can assume." 04:39 AA: "HMM. AN INTERESTING POINT." 04:39 AA: "IT SEEMS THAT THESE CREATURES WHO YOU CLAIM TO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT AND HAVE NEVER HEARD OF WERE ALSO PLAYERS AT SOME POINT." 04:40 AA: "FOUR OF THEM HAVE BEEN NAMED TO ME: JACK, THE PROGRAMMER, SCARLET, THE COMPANION, LIBBY, THE ARCHIVIST, AND HERALD, THE WARRIOR." 04:40 AA: Merrow looks a bit troubled at the mention of Herald. 04:40 GT: "Jack's a twink?" She looks interested. "Jack Oswald?" 04:41 AA: "WE DO NOT KNOW OF JACK OSWALD. WE WERE TOLD THERE ARE THREE SEPARATE JACKS." 04:42 AA: "JACK OF ARENA, JACK HESTON, AND SOMEONE NAMED JACK NOIR." 04:42 GT: "Well then, Jack Oswald has to be the third, right? All the others HAVE last names. Thiago's involved with him somehow. I don't think it's in a good way." 04:43 AA: "THIAGO IS? HMM. THAT SEEMS ODD....BUT WE THOUGHT DARMOK'S CONCERNS ABOUT HIM WERE MERE CALIGINOUS INTEREST..." 04:44 AA: "WE SUPPOSE IT'S POSSIBLE JACK OF ARENA IS JACK OSWALD. WE HAVE NO OTHER NAME TO GIVE HIM, AFTER ALL. BUT IF SO THAT IS NOT GOOD..." 04:44 AA: "WE HAVE HEARD JACK OF ARENA REFERRED TO AS 'THE ENEMY OF THE PLAYERS.'" 04:45 AA: "WE ARE NOT SURE WHICH PLAYERS WERE BEING REFERRED TO THOUGH--US, OUR PARENTS, OR THE PEOPLE OF ARENA." 04:45 GT: "Could be all of 'em, even." 04:46 AA: "POTENTIALLY. THOUGH HE WAS ONE OF THAT LAST BATCH." 04:46 AA: "IF WE UNDERSTOOD DARMOK CORRECTLY." 04:47 GT: "Darmok also said Thiago was a 'snake in the grass', which is probably a really bad sign." 04:48 AA: "AND 'SOLD FOR A SONG.' WE WERE WORRIED AT FIRST, BUT NOW THAT HE'S SHOWN THAT HE WAS INTERESTED IN THIAGO AS A KISMESIS, WE AREN'T SURE WHETHER WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO WORRY OVER IT." 04:49 AA: "THOUGH DARMOK'S IDEA OF BLACK COURTSHIP IS FAR MORE BRUTAL THAN WE OURSELVES WOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH....THIAGO SEEMS CONTENT WITH IT. SO WE SUPPOSE IT'S NOT OUR PLACE TO JUDGE." 04:49 AA: Merrow shrugs. 04:49 GT: "I dunno, that stuff seemed more like a warning than a declaration of undying hate. I don't have a ton of experience in this field, though." She shudders. "Wait, no. I do now." 04:50 AA: "DO YOU?" Merrow sounds surprised. "HUMANS DON'T TRADITIONALLY GO IN FOR THE BLACK QUADRANT, TO OUR UNDERSTANDING." Merrow shrugs. "WITH SOME NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS." 04:51 AA: "AND EVEN SHE SEEMS TO BE MORE CONFUSED THAN GENUINELY CALIGINOUS..." 04:52 GT: "Dad said people'd done it. Then he showed me. With pictures." She shudders again. "It was enlightening." 04:53 AA: "OH. THAT SOUNDS....VERY..." he stifles a giggle. "...EDUCATIONAL, MAVICO." 04:53 GT: "I can make sure you're there for the next showing, Pretty Boy. Don't fucking test me." 05:01 AA: "KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS, MAVICO. WE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN WATCHING PORNOGRAPHY WITH YOU." He shrugs and changes the subject. "WELL, WE BELIEVE WE HAVE SHARED WHAT INFORMATION WE HAVE TO GIVE YOU. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO ADD?" 05:02 GT: "Well, now it's my turn to ask you what you want to know." 05:03 AA: "WELL FOR STARTERS, WHAT WAS THIS SEER OF MIND THING YOU MENTIONED EARLIER?" 05:04 GT: "It's my title. Everyone gets one when they enter the game. It determines what super awesome powers you're able to use. Eventually, if you play your cards right, you'll be able to God Tier and become ridiculously OP while flying around and apparently getting really cool pajamas." 05:05 AA: "POWERS? WE WILL RECEIVE POWERS?" Merrow sounds pleased. "THIS SHOULD MAKE WINNING THIS GAME EASIER. WERE OUR PARENTS NOT GIVEN SUCH POWERS?" 05:06 GT: "The powers are common to every session, so yeah, they'll have powers. Some of 'em might even be God Tiered, even, if they're the seasoned veterans we're all expecting them to be." 05:07 AA: "ONE WONDERS WHY THEY COULDN'T COMPLETE THE GAME WITH SUCH POWER AT THEIR DISPOSAL." 05:08 GT: "Cause games aren't fun if you get all the upgrades right at the beginning. You gotta WORK for your death rays." 05:08 AA: "FUN....THAT RESULTS IN THE DEATHS OF BILLIONS OF SENTIENT BEINGS, POTENTIALLY OURSELVES AMONG THEM." 05:09 AA: "SO DO YOU KNOW THE TITLES OF ANYONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF?" 05:10 GT: "Nope. Don't even know what mine does, actually. I know how they're structured, though!" 05:11 AA: "OH?" 05:12 GT: "They're two-part titles. You got your Class and your Aspect. The Aspect tells you what you can control. The Class tells you how you can control it. Like, I'm a Seer of Mind, so I...see minds, I guess." 05:13 AA: "SEEMS A SOMEWHAT SIMPLISTIC POWERSET. ONE HOPES ITS SIMPLICITY IMPLIES ITS BROADNESS" 05:14 AA: "WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH CLASS SYSTEMS THOUGH. LIKE, SAY, ONE MIGHT BE A BOY SKYLARK OR SOMETHING. AND HAVE POWERS THAT START WEAK BUT BECOME VERY POWERFUL AT LATER LEVELS." 05:16 GT: "Yeah, it's something like that - " She cocks an eyebrow. "You FLARP?" 05:16 AA: Merrow blushes. "NO, OF COURSE NOT. WE HAVE MERELY....EXAMINED SOME OF THE DOCUMENTS AS A SOURCE OF....TACTICAL INSPIRATION." 05:17 AA: Merrow, faking non-chalance, turns around in his desk and tries to subtly captchalog a couple of papers from the top of his desk. 05:17 GT: "Whatcha doing over there?" she says with equal nonchalance. 05:18 AA: "THIS? NOTHING!" His voice comes out a little shrill. "WE HAVE NOTICED HOW DIRTY OUR DESK IS, AND SIMPLY FELT IT RUDE TO CONTINUE LEAVING IT OUT WHILE A GUEST IS PRESENT." 05:18 AA: "PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTINUE." 05:20 GT: She grins widely, noting down his reaction for mocking purposes. "Like I was saying, yeah, it's something like that. Aunt Jackie didn't really go into a whole lotta detail there, though, so I don't know much more than that." 05:20 AA: "HMM. WE WERE HOPING AS A PROGRAMMER AT SKAIANET SHE MIGHT HAVE OFFERED GREATER INSIGHT INTO THE NATURE OF THE GAME. WE ADMIT TO KNOWING MUCH ABOUT THE SITUATION SURROUNDING THE GAME, BUT LITTLE ABOUT THE GAME ITSELF." 05:21 AA: "WE HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS DERSE AND PROSPIT THAT THE OTHERS SHARED A DREAM OF ARE CONNECTED, AND THAT THE FACT THAT THEY ARE DREAMING SEEMS TO IMPLY THAT THE GAME IS STARTING, BUT THAT PROVIDES US LITTLE TO GO ON IN HOW WE SHOULD APPROACH THESE MYSTERIOUS DREAMS." 05:22 GT: "Just keep on dreaming 'em is my guess. Don't let the Archagent get the ring, though. That leads to bad shit going down, apparently." 05:23 AA: "NO INDICATION OF WHO THIS 'ARCHAGENT' IS, WE ASSUME?" 05:24 AA: "OR WHICH RING HE IS TO BE DENIED?" 05:24 GT: "He's on Derse, I know that. And it's the Queen's. Presumably the Black's." 05:24 AA: "THE BLACK'S? SO YOU ARE NOT REFERRING TO QUEEN BEAU, THEN." 05:25 GT: "Nah. The game's got this big chessboard motif thing going on in the cracks." 05:25 AA: "WE SEE....AH, YES. CHESS IS THE HUMAN GAME WITH THE BLACK AND WHITE SQUARES. WE BELIEVE WE HAVE HEARD THAT QUEEN BEAU IS A FAN." 05:26 AA: "AH, SO THAT MAKES SENSE. A LIGHT MOON AND A DARK MOON--WHITE AND BLACK SQUARES." 05:26 GT: "Haha. Hopefully the last session's version survived. And yeah." 05:26 AA: "WE MAY NEED TO STUDY UP ON CHESS. PERHAPS THE QUEEN WOULD TEACH US IF WE WERE TO ASK..." 05:27 AA: "WAIT, THE LAST SESSION'S VERSION OF WHAT? PROSPIT? DERSE?" 05:27 GT: "Queen Beau." 05:27 GT: ((WAHAHA)) 05:27 AA: Merrow thinks for a moment. 05:27 GT: ((*somewhere on the ark sami cries*)) 05:28 AA: "OH MY. WE HADN'T REALLY THOUGHT OUT THE FULL RAMIFICATIONS OF OUR PARENTS BEING PLAYERS YET." 05:28 AA: "BUT YES, QUEEN BEAU *WOULD* BE AMONG THE PLAYERS, WOULDN'T SHE? AND THE CONDESCE AS WELL." 05:29 AA: "...AND MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN US, YOU'VE SUGGESTED. WE HOPE THIS DOES NOT BODE ILL....IT IS POSSIBLE THE VERSION OF OUR MOTHER ON THAT SIDE IS NOT SO FOND OF ANOTHER TYRIAN BLOOD JOINING THE GAME." 05:30 GT: "Ah jeez. Hopefully they'll have beaten the spirit of teamwork into her by the time they get here." 05:30 AA: "OH MY. FOR THAT MATTER....HOW WILL THEY REACT TO ACENIA? HER MUTANT BLOOD COULD MARK HER FOR CULLING!" Merrow looks concerned. 05:30 AA: "NO....NO, WAIT. LEYERS WOULD BE AMONG THE PLAYERS IN THAT SESSION. THEY MUST ACCEPT MUTANTS FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER." 05:30 AA: "SHE IS PROBABLY SAFE." 05:31 AA: "I WILL *KEEP* HER SAFE." 05:31 GT: "D'aww." 05:31 AA: "ESPECIALLY FROM THIS 'HERALD' DARMOK MENTIONED." 05:32 GT: "I haven't heard about this Herald guy yet. What've you heard?" 05:32 AA: "LITTLE, OTHER THAN THAT HE WAS A WARRIOR, AND THAT IF ACENIA'S 'PRIMER' IS NOT FILLED, HE MAY TRY TO TAKE HER." 05:33 AA: "THIS SEEMS TO INVOLVE LOVE AND MARRIAGE AMONG TWINKS, WE THINK, SO WE BELIEVE WE'VE GOT THAT COVERED." 05:34 GT: "Does she have a Primer, though? Like, I don't. I dunno if that's really a cause to worry." 05:34 AA: "WE DON'T BELIEVE SO. DARMOK SPOKE AS THOUGH HE WOULD BE 'FILLING' MILOKO'S 'PRIMER' BY HUMAN MARRYING HER. SO PERHAPS THAT IS ENOUGH." 05:35 AA: "PERHAPS IT IS JUST A METAPHOR. AS MUCH OF WHAT HE SAYS IS." 05:35 GT: "I don't think it's QUITE equivalent, but yeah, it's probably close enough for the Herald's standards, whoever he is." 05:36 AA: "WE ARE MATESPRITS NOW, AND BETROTHED TO BE HUMAN-MARRIED AT SOME POINT. THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH, YES?" 05:37 GT: "Yeah." She waves a hand. "I wouldn't worry about it" 05:37 AA: "SO THAT LITTLE DIVERSION ASIDE, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU KNOW ABOUT SBASE THAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BEFORE IT COMES TIME TO PLAY?" 05:38 AA: "ANY INSTRUCTIONS, OR WALKTHROUGHS, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT?" 05:40 GT: "Entry's pretty unintuitive. You have two players, a server and client, and the server has to drop a bunch of machines and shit and then the client has to figure out which machines do what and also toss an object into this glowing seizure kernel thingy called a kernelsprite before making a little statue and breaking it before a meteor crushes their house and kills them." 05:40 AA: "TOSS AN OBJECT? LIKE A SPECIFIC OBJECT?" 05:41 GT: "Any object works. You have to prototype it before you enter, though, or you fuck EVERYONE over reeeeally bad." 05:41 AA: "'PROTOTYPE?'" 05:41 GT: "Toss a thing into it." 05:41 GT: "The game has a fondness for renaming things." 05:42 AA: "WE SEE. SO YOU CAN ENTER WITHOUT PROTOTYPING? HOW DOES IT 'FUCK EVERYONE OVER' IF YOU FAIL TO?" 05:43 GT: "Each side's Queen and King have a ring and a scepter respectively. They get neat powerups based on what we prototype, which is good for them but makes the final boss battle utter shit for us. It also affects the imps too, though, so if you dont prototype anything apparently you get creepy skeleton monsters that don't drop grist and you cannot win, ever. You're stuck." 05:45 AA: "HMM. SO WE MUST PROTOTYPE THEN. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE MOST SENSIBLE COURSE OF ACTION WOULD BE TO DROP SOMETHING INTENTIONALLY WEAK OR HAMSTRUNG INTO THE KERNELSPRITE THOUGH, TO WEAKEN THE ENEMY." 05:46 AA: "PERHAPS WE SHOULD HAVE A MEETING TO INFORM THE OTHER PLAYERS TO BEGIN PREPARING CRIPPLED OBJECTS FOR PROTOTYPING." 05:47 GT: "Pppbpbpbpb." She blows a raspberry. "This is why I didn't wanna tell you guys anything. It isn't any FUN if you guys prepare ahead to make the game a cakewalk." 05:48 AA: "MAVICO. YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT TAKING THE LIVES OF OUR SUBJECTS, AND OF THE HUMANS AS WELL, INTO OUR HANDS FOR THE SAKE OF 'FUN.'" 05:48 AA: "THIS GAME HAS ALREADY DEFEATED OUR PARENTS, IF YOUR THINKING IS CORRECT." 05:49 AA: "AND EVEN KILLED SOME OF THEM, TO HEAR DARMOK TELL IT. WE KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THE 'OTHER SIDE'S" VERSION OF COMMANDER AGGARO WAS KILLED." 05:49 GT: "And that's surprising?" 05:50 AA: "PERHAPS NOT. BUT IT IS A WARNING NOT TO TAKE THIS AS A MERE GAME." 05:50 AA: "THERE IS A VERY GOOD CHANCE THAT NOT ALL TWENTY OF US WILL BE SURVIVING THIS GAME. THAT THERE WILL BE FEWER THAN TWENTY SURVIVORS OF THIS UNIVERSE ONCE WE WIN." 05:51 GT: "I've never taken it as just a game. I've taken it as the way I go out in a blaze of glory and finally get to meet my mom, and I'm not about to have you ruin that because you think you can keep people from dying by weakening the imps." 05:51 AA: "THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE ARE DOING TO 'HAVE FUN, AND MAY THE BEST MAN WIN.' THIS IS A FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL. THIS IS A WAR. WE CAN TAKE NO RISKS THAT DO NOT OFFER US GREATER REWARD THAN WHAT WE RISK BY TAKING THEM. " 05:52 AA: "THE SURVIVORS OF EARTH AND ALTERNIA ARE *NOT* EXPENDABLE." 05:53 GT: "The game sure as Hell thinks they are." 05:53 AA: "WELL WE DO NOT INTEND TO LET THE GAME TO MAKE THAT DECISION FOR US, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE." 05:54 GT: "It's not, I'll tell you that right now. The game's been making decisions for you since before you were born. What makes you think it'll stop now?" 05:57 AA: "IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK PHILOSOPHY, TALK TO MEDEIS. WE MUST BELIEVE THAT IF THE OUTCOMES OF ALL OF THIS WERE PREDETERMINED, THERE WOULD BE NO POINT IN EVEN CALLING IT A 'GAME' IN THE FIRST PLACE--IT WOULD SIMPLY BE A PLAY, OR CINEMA. THERE MUST BE MULTIPLE ENDINGS, AND OUR ACTIONS MUST DETERMINE WHICH ONE COMES ABOUT." 06:03 GT: She shrugs. "All right, go ahead and call your little seminar about crippling the game. I'll just be waiting over here for the game to fuck us over some other way. It's got lots of options." 06:03 AA: "LET IT THEN. WE NEED NOT AID IT IN DOING SO." 06:04 AA: "THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE INFORMATION, IN SPITE OF YOUR RESERVATIONS ABOUT DOING SO, MAVICO." 06:06 GT: "I have even more reservations than I had before we started," she snarls. "Better not tell you about the Black King or you'll blow up the fucking Battlefield." 06:07 AA: "AS YOU HAVE MADE VERY CLEAR, WE CANNOT ORDER YOU ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, BUT WE HOPE YOU'LL AT LEAST THINK IN OUR COUNCIL ON THIS MATTER. IF THE GAME IS AS DETERMINED TO SCREW US OVER AS YOU THINK, WE ARE SURE YOU WILL FIND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR 'BLAZE OF GLORY.' AND SURVIVING LONGER WILL INCREASE YOUR ODDS OF MEETING YOUR MOTH--" Merrow's eyes narrow. 06:07 AA: "--TELL US WHAT ABOUT THE BLACK KING?" 06:08 GT: "Big final boss fight. Super easy way to disable it, though. Shame I'm not gonna tell ya what that is~" 06:09 AA: "WHY ON *EARTH* WOULD YOU NOT TELL US SUCH A THING? DO YOU *WANT* OTHER PLAYERS, AND YOURSELF, TO DIE MAVICO?!" 06:11 AA: (( Probably should be "Why on Alternia." )) 06:17 GT: "I DON'T CARE! I AM NOT GOING TO HAVE YOU RUIN THIS FOR ME! IT MIGHT BE SELFISH, BUT I HAVE BEEN WAITING AND DREAMING ABOUT THIS FOR 13 FUCKING YEARS, AND MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, I WANNA GET THE FULL EXPERIENCE INSTEAD OF LIMPING THROUGH ON EASY MODE. THAT MIGHT BE YOUR STYLE, BUT IT SURE AS HELL AIN'T MINE." 06:20 AA: "MAVICO, I AM TEMPTED TO PETITION TO HAVE YOU LOCKED AWAY TO PREVENT YOU FROM SABOTAGING THE SURVIVAL OF THE REST OF US. THESE ARE PEOPLE'S LIVES YOU'RE GAMBLING WITH FOR THE SAKE OF 'FUN.'" 06:21 AA: "IF *WE* WERE TO DO SUCH A THING WE WOULD BE SEEN AS A TYRANT." 06:25 GT: "I'm not gonna SABOTAGE the game!" She looks at him incredulously. "What kind of insane maniac would do that? I could HELP, even. But not if you're gonna crush the soul out before we even start playing. And hey, it's not that bad of a thing to be a tyrant! Hell, you might get congratulated! Great start on living up to the family name, right? 06:25 AA: "HOW DOES DECREASING OUR ODDS OF SURVIVAL NOT FALL UNDER THE HEADING OF SABOTAGE, MAVICO?" 06:27 AA: "YOU ARE SUGGESTING ACTIVELY CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEATHS OF YOUR TEAMMATES. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO RESPOND TO THAT? 'LMAO, YOLO?'" 06:29 GT: "I'M NOT TRYING TO GET OUR TEAMMATES KILLED!" She growls in frustration. "Why can't you UNDERSTAND THAT? I'm trying to make this a better experience for everyone. You mistake is looking at it as if it were a deathtrap instead of a game, and I'm some kind of cackling mastermind that watches in glee as you set off the spike pit!" 06:30 AA: "WEREN'T YOU THE ONE JUST GOING ON ABOUT HOW THE GAME KILLED OFF OUR PARENTS AND THAT IT WILL ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO SCREW US OVER? HOW ARE WE NOT SUPPOSED TO TAKE THAT AS A DEATHTRAP?" 06:33 GT: "The others don't have to know that, though! They can go into this thinking it's just a game, and we're all gonna make it out OK. They can have HOPE. If we do it your way, everyone goes into this wondering if this is gonna be the day they die, or their friend dies, or their MATESPRIT dies." She put special emphasis on that word. 06:35 AA: "SO YOU THINK THEY'RE BETTER OFF GOING IN BLIND TO THE DANGER? WAIT UNTIL THE FIRST ONE GETS KILLED BEFORE TELLING THEM 'OH, YEAH, AND THIS GAME MIGHT KILL YOU. PROBABLY SHOULD'VE TOLD YOU THAT BEFORE WE LOST THAT TEAMMATE, BUT WE THOUGHT IT'D JUST MAKE YOU UPSET?'" 06:39 GT: "Like I just SAID, they don't ever have to know that WE know. Why do you think I've been so tight-lipped? Because I knew that if I told anyone, they'd turn on me faster than blinking. Look at YOU! We're not even in the GAME yet and you've already called me a TYRANT. 06:48 GT: " 06:48 AA: "SO JUST ACT SURPRISED WHEN PEOPLE START DYING. DEATHS THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. THAT IS YOUR SUGGESTION?" 06:49 AA: "AND NEVER LET ON THAT WE KNEW AND MIGHT HAVE PREVENTED THOSE DEATHS?" 06:50 GT: "It's what I've been doing for my entire life," she says with a touch of bitterness. "Seems to have worked just fine so far." 06:52 AA: "DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT IF IT IS IN YOUR POWER TO PREVENT A DEATH AND YOU ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN, YOU HAVE ESSENTIALLY KILLED THEM YOURSELF?" 06:54 GT: "And believe me, if I have the ability to prevent a death, I'll prevent it! Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a heartless bastard!" 06:55 AA: "...SAID THE HUMAN CHILD ASKING ME TO NOT WARN PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE RISKING THEIR LIVES BY PROTOTYPING DANGEROUS ITEMS." 06:56 GT: "Ohhhhh my Godddddd it's not like they're gonna die if they prototype a hammerhead shark or something the game wants us to survive past the tutorial at least." 06:57 AA: "DOES IT? YOU HAVEN'T GIVEN ME ANY REASON TO BELIEVE THAT. IN FACT, WE ARE TO UNDERSTAND IT WILL BE SENDING METEORS TO KILL US ALMOST IMMEDIATELY UPON STARTING." 06:58 AA: "AT LEAST TELL ME SOME SORT OF *ADVANTAGE*, MAVICO. WHAT IS TO BE GAINED, BY PLAYING 'ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT OF THE GAME?'" 07:02 GT: "We get to not look like PANSIES in front of our parents? Besides, if Scarlet's actually been working with the base officials, don't you think they've already thought about the prototyping problem?" 07:03 AA: Merrow looks like he wants to argue, but nods. "FAIR ENOUGH. WE WOULD IMAGINE SCARLET HAS INFORMED THEM." 07:05 GT: "THANK GOD." She flops back down on the couch again. "OK, see? They've probably already got a solution and everything! Why don't you ask the Condy about it before running off and proposing we all prototype boxes of Kleenex?" 07:07 AA: Merrow groans. "FINE. WE WILL. BUT YOU HAVE LEFT US VERY CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR PRIORITIES IN THIS GAME." 07:09 GT: "Mm. I'll be sure to target you first when I inevitably turn on the group and join forces with Jack Oswald." 07:10 AA: Merrow sighs. "Or tell him how to hit us hardest because it will make for a more challenging and 'fun' game..." 07:11 GT: "I keep SAYING. There are a lot of things I am. A murderer is not one of them." 07:13 AA: "VERY WELL. WE WILL ACCEPT THAT FOR NOW, MAVICO. BUT YOU REMAIN AN INFURIATINGLY ERRATIC ALLY. " 07:15 GT: "Can't wait 'till we have to work together in-game." 07:15 AA: "YES. IT SHOULD BE QUITE THE FUN TIME." 07:16 AA: "VERY WELL MAVICO. WE ARE SATISFIED WITH WHAT YOU HAVE SHARED WITH US. FOR NOW. THANK YOU. DISMISSED." He turns to a notepad and starts to write something down. 07:19 GT: She scoffs. "Oh, I'm dismissed, am I? I'm so grateful you decided to acknowledge me, Your Grand High Poo-Bahness." She bows deeply, offering both her middle fingers in obeisance, before exiting, slamming the door behind her.